Editor's Note: Make Athlon Sports your home for recruiting coverage up to, during and after National Signing Day, including announcement watches, live blogging and Athlon's top 25 classes.

The resounding theme of the last two National Signing Days was not who signed where, but rather, who did not sign.

In 2008, Jeannette (Pa.) High School phenom Terrelle Pryor actually took visits post-NSD and eventually signed weeks after the first Wednesday in February. Pryor was easily the top high school recruit in the nation. TP2 returns this fall for essentially his third season as the starter for what should be the Big Ten favorite. Jim Tressel and the rest of Buckeye nation will tell you it was well worth the wait.

Wichita (Kan.) East running back Bryce Brown was the No. 4 rated prospect in the 2009 Athlon Consensus 100. He, too, waited until after NSD to put pen to paper. He eventually made his way to Knoxville in what was one of the biggest recruiting upsets of the year. He is poised to be the starting tailback next fall for the Vols.

Offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, Minn.) and defensive end/athlete Ronald Powell (Moreno Valley, Calif.) are clearly the top two prospects in the nation for the 2010 cycle. Henderson is set to announce on CBS College Sports on Wednesday and Powell is already committed to the Florida Gators. So, for the first time in three years, it appears that all of the elite talents will actually sign scholarship papers on NSD.

For now.

The beauty of National Signing Day (NSD) lies in its chaotic uniqueness. No two Signing Days are alike and there is no other day in sports like it. Nearly 3,000 17-year old football prospects will make the most important decision in their young lives. And many times, the coaches, fans, media, parents and sometimes the recruits themselves literally have no idea what is going to happen. Only millions of dollars, job security and conference and national championships are on the line, so no pressure. Until those 25 (give or take) signed sheets of paper are faxed to campus, there is no rest for anyone involved.

Those coaches who not only manage, but thrive, in said chaos are the ones who will win the day. Bobby Bowden built a dynasty at Florida State by dominating the final day of recruiting each season. Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Rich Rodriguez and Lane Kiffin have also earned the title of "Great Closer." A dominant performance on this day can build much-needed momentum among fans and coaches for the upcoming season. Losing out on too many names can eventually send a coaching regime spiraling toward unemployment.

The 2010 version should bring loads of excitement and plenty of emotional ups and downs. It is the culmination of years of work by everyone from the lowest graduate assistant who spends 60 hours per week clipping game film to the head coach who is the key-note speaker at exclusive banquets designed to celebrate this matchless event.

At least, until it starts all over again this weekend — when hundreds of 2011ers will show up at Junior Days across the nation.

Florida vs. Texas

These are the top two states for talent in America. These are, all things considered equally, the two best jobs in America. Each head coach claims multiple visits to the BCS National Championship Game and both have won the big game. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Longhorns and Gators will battle it out for the mythical 2010 recruiting national championship.

Florida enters NSD as the heavy favorite. The Gators feature 11 AC100 prospects including three of the top 10 and eight of the top 50. The 2008 Ohio State haul featured 10 AC100 players, the most thus far in the three-year history of the list. Texas claims nine AC100 players — all of which are rated 69th or better. Each currently owns 25 verbal commitments.

There is still plenty of work to be done, however. Florida is still in on a variety of elite talents: Henderson, Chaz Green, Adrian Coxson, Christian Jones and Demar Dorsey. Texas has less left to accomplish and would need to pull a few upsets (a la Corey Nelson) to even make a push at No. 1. In fact, if it wasn’t for last Friday, the Horns would not even be challenging. Mack Brown and company landed two of the best players still left on the board when they got announcements from Jackson Jeffcoat (AC100 No. 4) and Jordan Hicks (AC100 No. 16). Jeffcoat is the No. 2 defensive end in the nation (unless Powell ends up at another position) while Hicks is the nation’s No. 1 linebacker.

Phrases like the "best recruiting class in history" are being tossed around this Florida group. Meyer would have to land at least two, if not three, of those left on his board to accomplish that. But to even be mentioned with the likes of the 2006 USC Trojan class (considered by many to be the best class of the modern online era) is quite an accomplishment for a guy who says he is taking time off.

Teams to Watch

Most teams are finished with recruiting, holding one or two potential slots open for last minute defections. Teams like Penn State, Texas and Virginia Tech have put together top-25 classes and do not expect much action on NSD. But for others, the picture has yet to be painted.

Here are the teams that have a lot to gain on Wednesday:

Florida Gators: 25 commitments
How can a team ranked No. 1 have a lot to gain? If the Gators land Henderson and another from the Green-Coxson-Jones-Dorsey conglomerate, they could be looking at the greatest class of the modern era.

USC Trojans: 13 commitments
Even though they only have 13 commitments, eight of those verbals lie in the AC100. Their quality is so astounding that they already find themselves in the top 10 of the team rankings. AC100 names like Markeith Ambles, Dietrich Riley, Seantrel Henderson, Ahmad Dixon, Sean Parker, Latwan Anderson and Chaz Green (among plenty others) have yet to announce and will have USC as a finalist. It is almost a guarantee that the Men of Troy will make waves on Signing Day (they always do), but should they clean up, Kiffin could easily find this class in the top-5. No team has more left on its board than the Trojans — and its not even close.

Oregon Ducks: 20 commitments
The Ducks are as hot as any team in the nation after landing Lache Seastrunk last week. Gabe King, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Ivan McCartney, Ricky Heimuli, Christian Thomas and Anthony Jefferson all have the Ducks as a finalist. Also, keeping Chris McCain will be important as it could impact King and Keenan Allen as well.

Cal Golden Bears: 16 commitments
The domino effect is in full swing with this class. If Cal can land AC100 end Gabe King, it might mean Chris McCain and Keenan Allen jump aboard as well. They are also in the mix for O-lineman Arie Kouandjio and AC100 end J.R. Ferguson. Much like the Trojans, Cal’s strength is its quality but a few more big pieces could push this class into the top 10.

Miami Hurricanes: 27 commitments
The Canes hosted by far the biggest list of official visitors in college football this weekend. Henderson, Ferguson, McCartney, Christian Thomas and Shon Coleman highlighted the 13-prospect bonanza. They missed out on Jeffrey Whitaker on Monday and the class is not loaded with the customary star power, but with a few upsets, Miami could sneak into the top 15.

Florida State Seminoles: 20 commitments
They are rumored to be in the lead for AC100 talent Christian Green and are in the mix for Christian Jones, Ferguson, Corey Lemonier, Demar Dorsey and Vincent Sanders. This group could easily finish in the top 10.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish: 21 commitments
The Irish are in the lead for AC100 lineman Matt James and have a shot at Henderson as well as Coxson. All three, which is unlikely, could make this a top 10 class.

Clemson Tigers: 21 commitments
Much of the Tigers' NSD success will hinge on AC100 athlete Keenan Allen. If they can land him, this class looks dramatically better. There are still others left on their board who could help as well, though.

2010 Surprises…

The Pac-10
USC and Oregon are national recruiting powers, so its no surprise to see them in the top 10. Cal, Stanford, UCLA and to a lesser extent Arizona State have all been very solid as well. With a great NSD, Cal could be in the top 10 while Stanford and UCLA have quickly established themselves as national powers under their newish regimes. Jim Harbaugh and Rick Neuheisel have quickly turned into major threats on the recruiting trail in only a few years on the job.

Missouri Tigers
This is all but certain to be Gary Pinkel’s best class in Columbia. They landed nine players from Texas and kept most of the top in-state talent at home.

BYU Cougars
The most college-ready quarterback, Jake Heaps, is already on campus and will compete for early playing time. Others like Ross Apo and Bronson Kaufusi are elite-level talents as well.

Tennessee Vols
It is no shock to see the Big Orange recruiting well, but after dealing with the coaching change, the Vols have been a pleasant surprise. Derek Dooley has already landed nine players since taking over and has kept this class in the top 10.

Toledo Rockets
Injuries have made this class very underrated. Tim Beckman has done a great job.

Memphis Tigers
Larry Porter is no stranger to the recruiting trail and quickly has made Memphis relevant.

SMU Mustangs
The state of Texas has taken serious note to the high octane offense of June Jones.

…And Disappointments

Colorado Buffaloes
The Buffs could miss on all of the top-10 players in the state of Colorado.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
They struggled mightily in-state this season. Which is bad news.

Illinois Fighting Illini
Mike Locksley was worth that much to Ron Zook. This whole program is in trouble.

Arkansas Razorbacks
Bobby P has a lackluster class after allowing Michael Dyer to leave the state.

Washington State Cougars
The gap between WSU and the rest of the Pac-10 in recruiting is still vast.

Minnesota Golden Gophers
Tim Brewster has not have capitalized on early momentum and a new stadium.

Kansas State Wildcats
When Iowa State has a dramatically better class, that spells trouble.

Stay Tuned to Athlon Sports for a complete breakdown of all the potential announcements for NSD '10 tomorrow. In true Athlon fashion, it will come complete with predictions.